UK government proposals would undermine individuals’ data rights
Press release - 19 November 2021
The UK government’s proposals for changes to the regulation of personal data would significantly weaken the rights of individuals. They would also undermine individuals’ ability to challenge mis-use of their data and loss of confidentiality. This is the key message from IT justice campaigners, the Just Algorithms Action Group (JAAG) in their response to the UK government’s consultation document: Data: a new direction.
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched the consultation on 10 September 2021 with a deadline for responses of 19 Nov. The government states that it intends to create “a bold new data regime” for the UK, now that the UK is no longer to be bound by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Siani Pearson and Paul Holdsworth have been leading a team of nine to compile the submission for JAAG. They explain that the proposed changes are numerous and far-reaching, but that the consultation exercise was rushed. There are 350 questions.
Said Siani: “The government seems to be bowing to corporate pressure to take a hatchet to the established framework for privacy and data protection rights for citizens. If enacted, they would encourage a transition to continuous and ubiquitous data collection.”
Taken as a whole, these proposals shift the balance of power over the control of data to corporations and other organisations.
The proposals could weaken and threaten the independence of the UK data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
They would undermine an individual’s ability to get redress for misuse of personal data, either through the Office of the Information Commissioner or direct from the organisation holding the data.
They would make it more difficult – and more expensive - for individuals to find out what data organisations hold on them.
Individuals would no longer have the right to get a human review of an automated decision.
Siani concluded: “Organisations today are data hungry. Ultimately, certain data analyses can be for the public good, but taken together, the proposals in this document do not leave much protection for the individual. Ultimately, control of our data, especially sensitive data, is strongly connected with human rights.”
Notes to journalists
The Just Algorithms Action Group (JAAG) is a not for profit membership organisation which campaigns for fairness in IT, especially in rule based systems and artificial intelligence. It was established in 2019 in response to concerns about the adverse impact of IT related welfare system reforms. JAAG promotes fairness and transparency in digital systems so that we can live in a safe interconnected world.
Press contacts:
Lee Coppack - lee.coppack@jaag.info
Sabina Ali - hello@jaag.org.uk